I think I messed up my chances, I'm so unsure

[Madison Day]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I do not know if this is the right place to put this, so if it's not I'm sorry. I've scoured the internet and cannot find a place that will give me advice. I don't have any advisors to help me. I graduated last spring with a BS in psychology. I love the diagnosis process, and learning about disorders. I applied to a lot of PsyD programs for clinical psych did not get in. I endeded up started a masters in clinical mental health counseling. One semester in, I can tell I don't want to do counseling. I think med school would be a good option, because there are several residencies related to the brain. I just do not have any info. Should I quit my masters programs? What prereqs are needed for medschool? How do I get them since I graduated undergrad? Do I need to get a specific degree? I know there's a test for Med school, but I don't know anything about it. How long do you have to study for it? How do you even apply to med school? What do you need? How long would it take for me to do this. What experience do I need and how do I get it? I'm just so overwhelmed by the resources out there, I don't know where to start, or if I have already messed it up. The only thing I know is that counseling will not be for me, and I will hate myself if I keep persuing it. Thanks for any advice, and sorry about all the questions.

 

[gyngyn]

Your degree does not matter, but you will need to take the upper division undergraduate science courses that will prepare you for the MCAT (if you have not done so already). You may need to put together a DIY post bac or apply to one that is organized for this purpose.
You will need to have the experiences that demonstrate that you have the pre-med competencies: The Premed Competencies for Entering Medical Students

If you have shown a sustained period of academic excellence in the sciences and can demonstrate evidence of pre-med competencies and have an MCAT score consistent with success, you will still need to employ a strong strategy: Applying to Medical School with AMCAS®

Do not embark upon this path without first shadowing an office-based physician (preferably in a longitudinal care practice). Application is costly (both financially and emotionally) and time-consuming.

DO schools have a different application system but require similar competencies.

 

[tenma_dr]

We can help you with navigating the process, but you first need to ask yourself if being a physician is truly what you want to do. It cannot simply be because you got denied from another career - med school admissions are highly selective and the bar is only set higher every year. You need to get some exposure to the field and you should shadow some doctors to see if it is really for you. This will also help you avoid repeating the mistake of committing to a profession and later deciding against it. If you were truly passionate about PsyD school, your plan after being rejected should be to evaluate what went wrong in your application instead of pivoting to a new career choice. Deciding to switch to medical school would take time, money and effort with possibly more school before you even consider applying. Medical school is most certainly not a back up plan or second choice. If you haven't explored medicine or pondered about what a physician's work entails, it would definitely be warranted before committing to a big decision like this

 

[Madison Day]

We can help you with navigating the process, but you first need to ask yourself if being a physician is truly what you want to do. It cannot simply be because you got denied from another career - med school admissions are highly selective and the bar is only set higher every year. You need to get some exposure to the field and you should shadow some doctors to see if it is really for you. This will also help you avoid repeating the mistake of committing to a profession and later deciding against it. If you were truly passionate about PsyD school, your plan after being rejected should be to evaluate what went wrong in your application instead of pivoting to a new career choice. Deciding to switch to medical school would take time, money and effort with possibly more school before you even consider applying. Medical school is most certainly not a back up plan or second choice. If you haven't explored medicine or pondered about what a physician's work entails, it would definitely be warranted before committing to a big decision like this

Thank you for the advice. Honestly, when I was applying for the PsyD, it wasn't what I really wanted either, I do not think. I had considered med school, but my advisor advised me against it, since I had not taken much science in my undergrad, and the timeframe I had. I have never really liked the research part of psych. I liked the aspect of working with clients. I think I did not get into any PsyD programs because I did not have enough research experience. I know you need some shadowing and clinical time for your med school application, but would you need research as well? Again, thank you for your advice, and your honesty. I think I have always considered med school a possibility, but I pushed it out of my mind because of the undergrad degree I was achieving for.

 

[Madison Day]

Your degree does not matter, but you will need to take the upper division undergraduate science courses that will prepare you for the MCAT (if you have not done so already). You may need to put together a DIY post bac or apply to one that is organized for this purpose.
You will need to have the experiences that demonstrate that you have the pre-med competencies: The Premed Competencies for Entering Medical Students

If you have shown a sustained period of academic excellence in the sciences and can demonstrate evidence of pre-med competencies and have an MCAT score consistent with success, you will still need to employ a strong strategy: Applying to Medical School with AMCAS®

Do not embark upon this path without first shadowing an office-based physician (preferably in a longitudinal care practice). Application is costly (both financially and emotionally) and time-consuming.

DO schools have a different application system but require similar competencies.

Thank you for your advice, and the links. I was not sure exactly what I would need,

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

sounds like you have a lot to think through. i wouldn't advise going down this path unless you're sure of the cost and benefits

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I do not know if this is the right place to put this, so if it's not I'm sorry. I've scoured the internet and cannot find a place that will give me advice. I don't have any advisors to help me. I graduated last spring with a BS in psychology. I love the diagnosis process, and learning about disorders. I applied to a lot of PsyD programs for clinical psych did not get in. I endeded up started a masters in clinical mental health counseling. One semester in, I can tell I don't want to do counseling. I think med school would be a good option, because there are several residencies related to the brain. I just do not have any info. Should I quit my masters programs? What prereqs are needed for medschool? How do I get them since I graduated undergrad? Do I need to get a specific degree? I know there's a test for Med school, but I don't know anything about it. How long do you have to study for it? How do you even apply to med school? What do you need? How long would it take for me to do this. What experience do I need and how do I get it? I'm just so overwhelmed by the resources out there, I don't know where to start, or if I have already messed it up. The only thing I know is that counseling will not be for me, and I will hate myself if I keep persuing it. Thanks for any advice, and sorry about all the questions.

What kind of GPA are we talking about here? It's concerning that you couldn't get into any PsyD programs considering most aren't very hard to get into

 

[chicandtoughness]

Hihi! I have my masters in mental health counseling, worked as a therapist, was about to go to PsyD/PhD (got in to a few, all poorly funded), then ended up in med school.

Biggest red flag I see, before anything else, is that you don’t like counseling. Can I ask why that is? Counseling is patient interaction. If you don’t like that, I would see it as a red flag in your apps.

Happy to answer questions about prereqs and the nontrad path and anything in between as well.